The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) (french: Cour de justice de l'Union européenne or "''CJUE''";
Latin: Curia) is the
judicial branch of the
European Union (EU). Seated in the
Kirchberg quarter of
Luxembourg City,
Luxembourg, this
EU institution consists of two separate courts: the
Court of Justice and the
General Court.
From 2005 to 2016 it also contained the
Civil Service Tribunal. It has a ''
sui generis'' court system, meaning ’of its own kind’, and is a
supranational institution.
The CJEU is the chief judicial authority of the
European Union and oversees the uniform application and interpretation of
European Union law, in co-operation with the national judiciary of the member states.
CJEU also resolves legal disputes between national governments and EU institutions, and may take action against EU institutions on behalf of individuals, companies or organisations whose rights have been infringed.
Composition
The CJEU consists of two major courts:
# the
Court of Justice, informally known as
European Court of Justice (ECJ) which hears applications from national courts for preliminary rulings, annulment and appeals. It consists of one judge from each EU member country, as well as 11 advocates general.
# the
General Court, which hears applications for annulment from individuals, companies and, less commonly, national governments (focusing on
competition law,
state aid, trade, agriculture and
trade marks). Since 2019 the court consists of 49 judges.
Functions
The CJEU's specific mission is to ensure that "the law is observed" "in the interpretation and application" of the
Treaties of the European Union. To achieve this, it:
* reviews the legality of actions taken by the EU's institutions;
* enforces compliance by member states with their obligations under the Treaties, and
* interprets
European Union law.
History
The CJEU was originally established in 1952 as a single court called the Court of Justice of the European Coal and Steel Communities (as of 1958 the Court of Justice of the European Communities (CJEC)).
The General Court was created in 1988 (known as the ''Court of First Instance'') and the Civil Service Tribunal was created in 2004.
With the entry into force of the
Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, the court system obtained its current name (Court of Justice of the European Union), while the original court itself (the former CJEC) was renamed "Court of Justice".
The working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union is
French.
See also
*
Primacy of European Union law
*
European Parliament in Luxembourg
Notes
References
Further reading
*
Beck, Gunnar (2013). ''The Legal Reasoning of the Court of Justice of the EU''. Oxford: Hart Publishing.
*Mikelsone, Gundega (2013). ''The Binding Force of the Case Law of the Court of Justice of the European Union''.
External links
Official websiteon
EUR-Lex
* The archival fonds of the Court of Justice of the European Union is consultable at th
Historical Archives of the European Union
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Category:European Union law
Category:Institutions of the European Union
Category:2009 establishments in the European Union
European Union